Fear can save your life—or quietly ruin it.. Fear keeps you alert, helps you avoid danger, and in many situations can literally save your life. Without fear, humans probably wouldn’t survive very long. But fear also has another side.
Sometimes the fear response kicks in when there is no real danger at all—or at least not enough danger to justify the level of anxiety we feel. Worry about money, health, relationships, social situations, or the future can become overwhelming and begin to shape the way we live our lives. In some cases, fear becomes less of a protector and more of a prison.
Dr. Arash Javanbakht, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic at Wayne State University School of Medicine, studies how fear and anxiety work inside the brain. In our conversation, he explains why humans evolved to be fearful, why modern life can trigger anxiety so easily, and how understanding fear may help you gain more control over it rather than letting it control you.
If you’ve ever wondered why your mind sometimes reacts so strongly—or why anxiety can feel impossible to shut off—this discussion offers a fascinating look at what fear is actually trying to do for you and how to keep it from getting in the way of living a full life. Dr. Javanbakht is author of Afraid: Understanding the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety (https://amzn.to/3LDJ93K).
RESOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
Amazon link for Arash Javanbakht’s book, Afraid: https://amzn.to/4utTZh2
